I received a disappointing email from my sales guy today. I placed an order back a few weeks ago on an E450 and it was accepted by Mercedes on 7/17. I asked him the Build date and he told me 11/11. This could mean I don't get the car until 2026. This is from the largest Mercedes dealer in New England. I just don't understand how it can be 4 months for a build date. No wonder MB sales are dropping. Not sure what I'll do now.

 

Not that uncommon. My build date was 3 months from my order date last year. It is frustrating, but I don't believe the gap in order to build has much to do with sales. Most people buy/lease what is on the lot.

 

After the build date you are looking at 7 to 8 weeks for shipping to your dealer.

 

If I understand it correctly, dealers require an “allocation“ before they can place an order. It is possible that a different dealer would have an allocation with an earlier bill date….

 

Allocations and build dates are entirely separate items. Build dates are on a first in first out for a given model at the factory.

 

Your previous posts indicating a build date 6 days after a submitted order did not make much sense...orders typically lock a month or two before production. Sounds like something was miscommunicated along the line. 6 months from order to delivery is about average...4-6 weeks from order to lock, 6-8 weeks from lock to build, 1-2 weeks to get on a ship, 6-8 weeks on the water, and 1-2 weeks to and through the dealership.

As E53DadWagon said, check around with other dealers...they may have earlier allocations that can still be changed to your spec's. Your dealer may have other customers that spec'd their earlier allocations, or they could have spec'd them for dealer stock.

All that said, we are in unprecedented times right now. MB may be prioritizing other countries and/or other models until they have solid answers regarding tariffs.

 

None of this still explains why. I have ordered 6 cars and none were this far out. I think the build dates were maybe 4-6 weeks out from the order. With overall global sales down, this can't be a capacity issue? or prioritizing another country? So something has changed in the last 2 years that results in longer lead times for builds. Or, its my dealer.

 

I ordered my E 53 estate in January, and it just finished assembly last week. I could have opted for an earlier "Edition 1" build, but I wanted a 2026 model. In total, 187 days from order acceptance to production, or a little over 6 months. Mine was one of the first 2026 cars produced.

Many factors go into production, including parts availability, supplier shortages, etc. Builds are organized into monthly "decades" with 3 per month, and the decades can consist of one type of vehicle or varied production. The latter is most common. The factory planners know when they can build cars and schedule accordingly. The process is usually automated, but sometimes humans are involved. US production is also different, requiring different components, certification labels, etc., so many times production of US/Canada-bound vehicles is batched together, which can result in increased lead times.

Then there are also build issues. Sometimes, the factory will postpone builds in order to account for supplier issues. As an example, my same dealer just ordered an E 53 sedan for another client, and the production slot assigned to that car will not accommodate either 21" wheel option, owing to supply issues. The customer originally opted for the 20" wheels and a corresponding slot was assigned that could accomodate ALL options + 20" wheels. Their desire to change to 21" now means the dealer is requesting a revised date. (The process for ordering is a little different in Europe.)

Your E 450 build date is likely the earliest allocation the dealer has, along with the earliest date your options can be accomodated.

I know in the US allocations are based on a super secret, overly complicated formula that weighs dealer size, location, performance, history, blood type, etc. but it is super simple for a dealer to trade with another for an earlier slot. Ask your dealer to do that. Many order cars for inventory and don't care if it arrives later.

 

I guess I just got lucky with my last 4 builds. But Something has changed to push the builds out to 4 plus months compared to my prior builds in 2022 and earlier. Are build issues new? perhaps. Parts supply issues? Maybe. Your point on asking to trade an earlier build is a good one. Thanks.

 

When I got my All-Terrain, one of the options that I absolutely wanted, but was not present on the car that was on the lot, was the 20” staggered wheel/tire set. And as I thought about it, getting a wheel-tire set added, after I purchase the car, was the easiest change in such cars. Once I bought the car, within days, the new 20” staggered wheels/tires for the 2025 E450 All-Terrain, got added onto the car (swap out the factory 19”s, and swap in the new 20”s…….took 10 mins to do the switch).

As opposed to say wanting a Panoramic roof, and getting a car without it, and then trying to retrofit it…..which is next to impossible, without drastic and unsafe vehicle surgery.

Maybe the above person should just order with the 20” wheels and just swap it to the 21”s, after getting the car ?

 

European dealers are generally reluctant to do this, especially in Germany. The reason is the periodic TÜV technical inspection. It is the most comprehensive vehicle checkup on the planet. It covers everything, including installed wheel sizes, tire dimensions, loading, etc. That information is then reflected in your vehicle registration and is printed on the part you carry in the vehicle with you while operating. In most cases, if you change anything from the original factory configuration, a new inspection is required, along with reissuance of registration documents. Even small modifications, like spacers, require certification and paperwork. Fines are hefty if you're stopped and the vehicle equipment doesn't match the paperwork.

Very few dealers keep cars on the lots, so since you're custom ordering anyway, you add everything you want at the start.

EDIT: As an example, my Volvo wagons have spacers installed. The size of the spacers and the TUV certification number for them are listed on my registration. Additionally, my cars came with 2 sets of wheels - 1 winter, 1 summer - as part of the factory ordering process. The "remarks" section on my registrations also indicates this, showing the winter wheel sizes, tire sizes, and load/speed rating. The summers on the V60 are 20" while the winters are 19". The V90 has 21" summers and 20" winters. They mean business with this stuff.

 

The new 20” staggered wheels on my car, are Mercedes’ own factory 20” staggered wheels. No spacers, no other modifications, nothing. I personally like the factory look, and thus was not interested in aftermarket wheels.

The picture with the rooftop box has the OEM staggered 20” wheels (with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S4 XL-rated tires) while the bottom picture has the 19”s that came from the factory. Easy swap out, swap in.

 

How do you like that roof box?

 

Sorry, was on a trip and just got back. I like this rooftop box, mainly because at its tallest point, this is taller than most other roof boxes, with well over a foot of height. It has around 16cuft of capacity overall, which helps in moving some of the lighter/voluminous stuff out of the car. Plus, there are no protrusions inside the box, with a nearly flat floor inside, which is extremely useful.

Like with all roof-boxes, this will also exact a mileage penalty. The E450 All-Terrain typically gets around 32-34mpg, consistently, with a higher content of highway miles. But with the roof-box (and the car loaded to the gills with stuff), during a recent 1500 mile trip, the mileage dropped to slightly under 26mpg, which is par for the course, I guess.

 

what rails do you use? Where did you get them?

 

The roof-rails come with the car, but the cross-bars are a Mercedes OEM accessory, sourced from the MB dealership. The cross-bars are rated for a dynamic load of 220lbs, which means the static load is 3 times that number.

 

thanks! I meant cross bars.

 

I'm used to that with our current fleet. I love the look, but I may opt for a box-less E 53. I pick the wagon up on Friday, and included in my configuration is the AMG roof box, but I may pass on it

 

Wow, that's a handsome pair right there !

 

Thank you! I'm sad they're both leaving the fleet shortly, but the 214 will more than make up for them both.

 

Build date moved up to 10/1.

 

I got a Build date of 10/22 after giving order details to dealer 4 weeks ago. Hoping for late November delivery.

 

Is that the Sonoran Brown color? I am torn between Alpine Grey and Sonoran Brown for my E53 wagon. It looks awesome whatever color it is. If iit is Sonoran Brown, how does the color look on cloudy days vs sunny days, etc.?

 

Yes, it is the Sonoran Brown. The following is the look during a cloudy-type (early morning) day. In bright daylight, it has a lighter metallic paint look.

 

I have a question or two for all of you that are custom-ordering / have custom-ordered an AMG: I have placed an order with the closest dealer that could give me a deal on price. They said they had an allocation (or could get one easily...I forget) but they had not yet allocated an E53 wagon so there wasn't a problem. I gave them the specs that I wanted and I got an email that the order had been "entered and accepted". What does that mean exactly?

The email goes on to say that they are awaiting an allocation from MB. I could have sworn they said they had one or could trade easily for one. Or does it mean that even though you have an allocation, you still have to wait for MB to give it to you?

Any help on the exact process for what is involved in each step of a custom order with MB/AMG is most appreciated...

I understand that I still have a little time to lock in my exact order even though it was "accepted". I am down to deciding between Alpine Grey (which is on my accepted build) or Sonoran Brown for the E53 wagon color. Any info/opinion on either of these colors is most welcomed. I liked the Alpine Grey from the start of my search because of the "future cars" video from MB for the E53 wagon. But now I see that they offer this "exclusive" alpine grey color to all kinds of the higher end vehicles (sedans, wagons, SUV's, coupes). The Sonoran Brown looks to me like a classic wagon color but I worry that it will make me look like an old person (I am 50 but don't look/feel it). And it appears the sonoran brown is just being offered to the E-class and S-class sedans/wagons. Maybe the sonoran brown doesn't look good on SUV's and that's why it is only on the sedans/wagons...dunno. But any help making this final decision before locked changes is greatly appreciated.

I am going with black nappa interior because I really don't personally like the two tone tonka brown / black seat look. If MB just did all tonka brown, I would probably get that interior on both the alpine grey and sonoran brown exteriors. And the neva grey interior worries me with blue jean stains, etc.

Oh...and some of you that are on this thread and also other E53 threads had previously questioned the $5000 down payment i was quoted to custom order. The dealer I was originally going with said the $5000 was standard. The dealership that found me the best deal on price only required a $1000 deposit like many of you had mentioned that you had. I feel wayyyyy more comfortable with a $1000 non-refundable down payment than a $5000 one. Thanks to all of those that mentioned that the $5000 was not the overall norm.